Carton with corner-shaped closure cap



Oct. 16, 1951 w. B. BUTLER CARTON WITH CORNER-SHAPED CLOSURE CAP Filed NOV. 1, 1949 INVENTOR Wm .4 AM 5.3117151? ATTORNEYS BY 77Z-"Waz4flmmwz 1 Kinda 4422 Patented Oct. 16, 1951 UNITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,571,199 CARTON WITH CORggg-SHAPED CLOSURE,

William B. Butler, Trenton, N. J.

Application November 1, 1949, Serial No. 124,875

Claims. (01. 222-543) This invention relates to containers, and more particularly to covering devices or tops for use in connection with cartons or packages.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved arrangement of a box top and .cover therefor, said arrangement being very simple in structure, being easy to manipulate, and providing a removable closure for a container after the container has been opened.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved removable closure for a box top, such as for the top of a food receptacle or package, said closure being very simple to manipulate, the closure being adapted to substantially seal the opening in the top of a container, and the closure being provided with means for preventing loss thereof.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a container provided with an improved closure device according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view similar to Figure 1, but showing the closure element removed from covering relationship with respect to the opened top corner of the container;

Figure '3 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view taken on line 3--3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view taken on line 44 of Figure 1;

Figure. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the top corner of a container prior to the opening of said top corner to permit the pouring of the contents of the container, the arrangement being in accordance with the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, II designates a container such as a container for cereal or other foodpthe container being generally rectangular in shape and being made of cardboard or other similar material. The container II is substantially conventional in construction, except at one of its upper corners, the container having fastened thereto at said upper corner a cardboard strip, designated generally at I2. Strip l2 comprises identical side wings l3,.l3 extending at right angles to each other and disposed adjacent the respective side and side walls of the contain- I er II, indicated respectively at I4, I5. The container has a top wall indicated at I6. The side wings I3, I3 are secured in spaced relation to respective walls l4 and I5 by interposing spacer strips I1 and I8 between the side marginal portions of said side wings and respective walls l4, I5, the elements being glued together so that a right-angled vertical sheath or receptacle is defined between the strip I2 'andthe upper corner portion of the container I I. At said upper cor- 2 ner, the strip I2 is formed with a V-notch, des ignated at I9.

As shown in Figure 5, the upper corner portion of the container is scored or perforated along the lines 20, 20 adjacent the edges of the V-notch I9 and is also scored along the top marginal lines 2 I, 2I, whereby an opening, such as shown at 22 in Figure 2, will be defined at the upper corner when the box is out along the scored lines 20, 20 and 2 I, 2|, and the portion of the box enclosed by said score lines is removed. The pouring opening thus defined is provided with an overhanging lip 23 defined by the corner of the top I6 of the box, as shown in Figure 2. The lip 23 acts as a guide or baflle element in pouring material from the box, whereby the material may be more accurately directed than would be the case if the guide lip were omitted.

Designated at 24 is a right-angled cornershaped cap, made of cardboard or the like, and shaped to fit in the sheath or sleeve defined at the upper corner of the box by the strip member I2 and the spacer strips I1 and I8. The corner cover 24 comprises right-angularly arranged side wall elements 25 and 26 connected by a horizontal top wall element 21, said top element 21 having an arcuate peripheral edge 28, and being reinforced adjacent said peripheral edge by an arcuate cardboard strip 29 glued or otherwise suitably secured to the bottom surface of the wall element 2'1. Designated at 30 is a piece of string having one end passing through an aperture in the wall 21 of the corner cap and knotted, as shown at 3|. The other end of the string 30 is secured in a similar fashion to a tab 32 of cardboard or the like, glued or otherwise suitably secured to the box top I6 adjacent the corner thereof. As shown in Figure 1, the corner cap 24 may be disposed in the right-angled sheath or sleeve defined by the corner strip I2 with respect to the walls I4 and I5 of the box in covering relation to the opening 22 subsequent to the cutting away of the material of the box to form said opening, as previously described. To expose the opening 22, the cover 24 is merely lifted by means cf'the string 30: from the position of Figure 1 to the open position of Figure 2, allowing material to be dispensed from the box through the opening 22. The opening may be covered by replacing the corner cap 24 in its sheath or sleeve, as above defined, to .return the cover to the position of Figure 1. In this position, the arcuate stiffening strip 29 engages the top wall I6 of the box with substantially sealing contact.

A plurality of boxes of different cereals may be packed within the same wrapper. For example, two boxes of similar size may be stacked and enclosed in a single wrapper. Two small boxes may be placed side by side and stacked on top of a largebox and enclosed in a single wrapper. Four small boxes may be grouped to define a rectangular stack and the stack may be enclosed in a single wrapper.

While a specific embodiment of a box top arrangement has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it is to be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a carton having a top wall and adjoining side and end walls depending from side and end edges said top wall to define a carton corner, said side and end walls being cut away to define a dispensing opening having said top wall as its upper boundary, a strip extending vertical 1y along said corner comprising side wings secured to the exteriors of said side and end walls, said wings having portions spaced from the exteriors of the side and-end walls and from the side and end edges of said top wall to define a sheath, and a comer-shaped cap comprising a top wall and sidewalls depending therefrom and downwardly inserted in said sheath between the exteriors of said carton side and end walls and said wings with the cap top wall overlying the carton top wall and closing said dispensing openms.

2. In a carton having a top wall and adjoining side and end walls depending from side and end edges said top wall to define a carton corner, said side and end walls being cut away to define a dispensing opening having said top wall as its upper boundary, a strip extending vertically along said corner comprising side wings secured to the exteriors of said side and end walls, said wings having portions spaced from the exteriors of the side and end walls and from the side and end edges of said top wall to define a sheath, and a corner-shaped cap comprising a top wall and sidewalls depending therefrom and downwardly inserted in said sheath between the exteriors of said carton side and end walls and said wings with the cap top wall overlying the carton top wall and closing said dispensing opening, said cap having means for lifting said cap out of said sheath to expose said dispensing opening comprising a string secured to the cap top wall.

3. In a carton having a top wall and adjoining side and end walls depending from side and end edges said top wall to define a carton corner,

said side and end walls being cut away to define a dispensing opening having said top wall as its upper boundary, a strip extending vertically along said corner comprising side wings secured to the exteriors of said side and end walls. said wings having portions spaced from the exteriors of the side and end walls and from the side and end edges of said top wall to define a sheath, and a comer-shaped cap comprising a top wall and sidewalls depending therefrom and downwardly inserted in said sheath between the exteriors of said carton side and end walls and said wings with the cap top wall overlying the carton top wall and closing said dispensing opening, said strip being formed with a notch registered with said dispensing opening arranged to be closed by said cap in its closed position.

4. In a carton having a top wall and joined side and end walls depending from side and end edges of the top wall to define an upper carton comer, portions of the side and end walls being cut away below said top wall to define a dispensing opening bounded at its upper end by said top wall, a corner strip extending vertically along the carton corner having side wings extending along the exteriors of said side and end walls, spacing means extending along outer vertical marginal portions of said wings and securing said wings to the side and end walls so that inner vertical marginal portions of said wings are spaced from the exteriors of said side and end walls so as to define an external sheath on the carton corner, and a comer-shaped cap comprising a top wall having joined sidewalls depending therefrom and arranged to be removably inserted downwardly in said sheath between said sheath and the side and end walls of the carton with the cap top wall overlying the carton top wall whereby said dispensing opening is closed by said cap.

5. In a carton having a top wall and adjoining side and end walls depending from the side and end edges of said top wall to define a carton corner, said side and end walls being cut away to define a dispensing opening having said top wall as its upper boundary, a strip extending vertically along said corner comprising side wings secured to the exteriors of said side and end walls, said wings having portions spaced from the exteriors of the side and end walls and from the side and end edges of said top wall to define a sheath, and a comer-shaped cap comprising a top wall and sidewalls depending therefrom and downwardly inserted in said sheath between the exteriors of said carton side and end walls and said wings with the cap top wall overlying the carton top wall and closing said dispensing opening, said carton top wall being unmutilated to define a guide lip between the carton side and end walls projecting outwardly over the upper end of the dispensing opening.

WILLIAM B. BUTLER.

nsrsnnxcss crrsn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATE N'IS 

